The job market for graduating law students in Louisiana is in better shape than much of the rest of the country.Although recent law center graduates have noticed a decrease in job offers, many are still getting hired within six months of graduation, according to Law Center Career Services Director Tracy Evans.Currently, 66 percent of 2009 graduates are employed. Although this figure is 10 percent below average for this time, Evans said employment percentages generally increase once students receive their Bar Exam scores in September. Evans speculates 10 to 12 percent of students will accept positions with government agencies once scores are released.”I’m confident we’re going to have 90 percent [of the students] employed,” said Evans, who added this is not the first recession she’s experienced at the University. The state’s hiring freeze has also reduced the number of jobs available to students, Evans said. Although several firms are hiring fewer people than they did last year, an examination of the past several years shows a pattern of light and heavy hiring, Evans explained.”So far, things are not as grim as they are in the Northeast,” Evans said. A recent New York Times article wrote that half as many openings would be available to law students this year compared to last. Even fewer offers would be made because some firms are conducting interviews for positions they may not fill, according to the article. Louisiana is in a better economic situation than the nation as a whole, said Loren Scott, professor emeritus of economics. The state began layoffs in April 2009, while the nation has been experiencing layoffs since January 2008, he said. And while the state has seen a 0.6 percent decline in jobs, the nationwide statistic is 4.7 percent, he said. “We’re at the turning point of the recession,” Scott said. “But people don’t know how fast we’ll come out.” They will also wait to see how the Obama administration’s policies will affect their businesses before they begin hiring in earnest again, he said. If students choose to attend graduate school, more jobs will be available once they enter into the workforce, Scott said. Applications for graduate programs go up anytime the job market slows, said Lynell Cadray, assistant vice chancellor for enrollment services and director of admissions at LSU Law Center. She said this same trend is true for LSU and law schools nationwide. Third-year law student Kilburn Landry said he’s noticed a definite decline in the amount of jobs available. “We’re pretty hopeful things will turn around before we graduate,” Landry said.Landry predicts the market will be more competitive for 2010 graduates because they may have to compete against 2009 graduates as well, Landry said. Tory Nieset, director of legal personnel and recruiting for Phelps Dunbar LLP, said numbers of hires at Phelps Dunbar have been pretty steady. The firm hired 19 new attorneys for its seven offices across the South, including Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The firm currently employs 256 associates across the South, Nieset said. Phelps Dunbar law firm was founded in 1853 in New Orleans and handles civil cases at the state and federal level across the Southeast. “We’re staying conservative,” Nieset said, although the firm has not had to rescind any offers. Law students and recent graduates who haven’t received offers yet should remain diligent, Nieset said. “Don’t just wait on the phone call,” Nieset said. She also advised graduates to look into other areas such as government and corporate advising positions. Andy Dupre, 2009 LSU Law graduate, said he sent out at least 20 resumes, talked to people he knew were well connected and spent a lot of time preparing for the interview. “You don’t want to leave anything to chance,” said Dupre, who is clerking for an attorney based in New Orleans. More work because of hurricane-related litigation and smaller salaries may act in the favor of new graduates, Evans said. Starting salaries for associates in the Northeast are around $160,000, while they are closer to $95,000 in the South, Evans said.
 
 
 
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